U.S. Helsinki Commission hearing: witnesses warn Georgian Dream is eroding democracy, urge U.S. accountability

Leaders and experts testifying before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe on behalf of the U.S. Helsinki Commission warned that Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party has taken the country off a pro‑Western path and urged the United States to use targeted measures — including the bipartisan Megabari Act — to support civil society and hold Georgian officials accountable.

At a Washington hearing, former Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said Georgia “has turned its back” on the strategic partnership with the United States and is aligning more closely with Russia, China and Iran. “For the first time in more than three decades, the ruling regime in Georgia has turned its back to this partnership,” Zourabichvili said. She told commissioners that U.S. investment and training helped build Georgia’s institutions and defense forces and that the country’s strategic position on the Black Sea and the so‑called “middle corridor” make its democratic trajectory a U.S. security interest.

Former Georgian defense minister Tinatin Khidasheli testified that Georgian Dream has “systematically and rapidly abandoned” Georgia’s national interest by undermining institutions, manipulating elections and deepening ties with authoritarian states. Khidasheli said the government has “criminalized dissidents, arrested opposition leaders, used violence against peaceful protests, and refused to protect the will of the Georgian people expressed at the ballot box.”

Luke Coffey, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, highlighted national security concerns tied to Georgia’s relationships with Iran and China, citing prosecutions in U.S. courts and open‑source reporting he said indicate Iranian intelligence activity and the use of Georgia by proxy actors. He also pointed to Chinese technology in Georgian public networks, saying “an estimated 70 to 80% of Georgia’s government institutions use surveillance cameras made by Chinese firms while Huawei is embedded throughout Georgia’s telecom networks.”

Witnesses and members of Congress discussed concrete U.S. responses. Khidasheli and others urged “targeted accountability,” including sanctions and visa bans on Georgian officials and enablers, expanded support for independent media and civil society, strengthened defense cooperation, and educational and exchange programs. Zourabichvili and other witnesses recommended that the United States publicly frame its assistance as supporting Georgia’s democracy and people rather than any particular ruling party.

Commission members emphasized bipartisan support for the Megabari Act, legislation discussed repeatedly during the hearing as a tool to support Georgian civil society and to hold accountable Georgian officials who undermine democracy. Chairman Joe Wilson told the panel the House passed the bill by an overwhelming margin in the chamber, which he described during the hearing as roughly 349–42. Witnesses and members noted, however, that Senate action had lagged and that additional executive measures and coordination with European partners would be needed to have effect.

Several witnesses described specific operational concerns cited during the hearing: opaque Chinese procurement and contracts tied to Georgian officials, alleged efforts to block U.S. companies from port projects (notably the Anaklia deep‑water port), and the purchase and deployment of surveillance systems from sanctioned Chinese firms that, according to testimony, have been used to identify and arrest protesters. Khidasheli said publicly available research and charts distributed at the hearing showed minimal Chinese foreign direct investment compared with Western donors but argued that Chinese firms win state procurement under favorable conditions created by corrupt networks.

Commissioners and witnesses also discussed democratic resilience measures. They identified election interference techniques they characterized as modern and complex — including call‑center operations, data‑driven pressure on voters tied to employment or social benefits, and social media manipulation — and urged the development of new observation and counter‑manipulation tools beyond classical polling‑station observation missions. Witnesses asked the Commission to consider expanding support for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other independent outlets as part of a broader information‑resilience strategy.

No formal actions or votes were taken at the hearing. Testimony closed with repeated calls from members of Congress for continued bipartisan support for Georgian civil society and for implementation of accountability measures that could include sanctions, increased diplomatic pressure and targeted aid to independent media and NGOs.

The hearing underscored the Commission’s view that Georgia’s democratic trajectory affects U.S. strategic interests in the Black Sea and the broader Eurasian “middle corridor,” and the witnesses urged continued transatlantic coordination to limit Russian, Chinese and Iranian influence in the country.